Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin says 'certain positive movements' in negotiations
A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without any resolution.
Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up "stiff resistance," according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation."
Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, have advanced closer to the city center in recent days despite the resistance, coming within about 9 miles as of Friday.
Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.
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Latest headlines:
- Ukrainian air force claims Russia carried out false flag airstrike in Belarus
- UN has credible reports of Russian cluster bomb use, attacks on health care
- Putin claims 'certain positive movements' in Ukraine negotiations
- Russian general prosecutor wants Meta declared 'extremist organization'
- Putin orders Russian military to help volunteer fighters from Middle East travel to Ukraine
ExxonMobil to stop Russian investments
Oil giant ExxonMobil announced Tuesday it will be ending current and future investments in Russia.
Specifically, it will cease operations at its Sakhalin-1 venture, which the company operates on behalf Japanese, Indian and Russian companies.
"As operator of Sakhalin-1, we have an obligation to ensure the safety of people, protection of the environment and integrity of operations. Our role as operator goes beyond an equity investment," the company said in a statement.
ExxonMobil said its stoppage of investments in Sakhalin-1 will "need to be carefully managed and closely coordinated with the co-venturers."
The company added that it wouldn't invest in future developments in Russia.
Jewish groups condemn attack on Ukrainian Holocaust memorial
Several Jewish groups condemned Russia for a missile attack that struck a Ukrainian Holocaust memorial.
The missiles struck the site of the Babyn Yar massacre where 33,000 Jewish men, women and children were killed in September 1941.
The Auschwitz Memorial and Museum in Poland tweeted, "It’s hard to expect the Russian army to respect the dead if it is not capable of respecting human lives."
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the site last year to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the event.
"We stand with him and the Ukrainian people during these critical times," the museum said in a statement.
Israel’s Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, called on the international community to protect sites such as Babyn Yar as well as the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
"Rather than being subjected to blatant violence, sacred sites like Babi Yar must be protected," Yad Vashem said in a statement.
-ABC News' Conor Finnegan
Apple pauses sales in Russia
Apple is taking "a number" of actions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including pausing product sales in Russia, stopping exports into the country and limiting Apple Pay there, according to a statement from the tech giant on Tuesday.
In addition, RT, Russia's state-run news network, and Sputnik have been removed from the AppStore outside of Russia.
Apple has also disabled traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine for safety of Ukrainian citizens.
"We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand with all of the people who are suffering as a result of the violence," Apple said in the statement. "We are supporting humanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region."
-ABC News' Zunaira Zaki
UK imposes sanctions on Belarus for its role in invasion
The United Kingdom is imposing sanctions on Belarus in response to the role the country is playing in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including facilitating the invasion from within its borders.
Four senior defense officials have been sanctioned, leaving them unable to travel to the U.K. and freeing any of their U.K.-based assets. Also sanctioned are a Belarusian aircraft repair plant and a military semiconductor manufacturer.
Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said, "We are inflicting economic pain on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and those closest to him. … The [Belarusian President Alexander] Lukashenko regime actively aids and abets Russia’s illegal invasion and will be made to feel the economic consequences for its support for Putin."
-ABC News' Christine Theodorou
Putin claims 'certain positive movements' in Ukraine negotiations
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed there have been “certain positive movements” in negotiations with Ukraine, “which are emerging almost daily."
Putin made the remarks in a televised meeting in the Kremlin with Belarus’ leader Alexander Lukashenko.
A third round of talks last week ended without any resolution, although the sides agreed to open humanitarian corridors to allow the evacuation of civilians.
But this week Russia has seemed to make subtle shifts in its demands, which suggest it might be slightly moderating its position in the face of heavy casualties in Ukraine and an unexpectedly intense global backlash.
The Kremlin ahead of the last round of talks announced its conditions for ending the war, saying Ukraine must change its constitution to guarantee it will never join political blocs, interpreted as meaning NATO or the European Union, and it must also recognize Crimea as part of Russia and the independence of the two Russian-controlled separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
The demands are still maximalist but there was no reference to removing Ukraine’s current government under president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, suggesting the Kremlin may have quietly dropped the goal.
-ABC News' Patrick Reevell